Wilson Parran
Community Leader, Veteran, Supporter of Education
January 1, 1950 –
Wilson Parran did not have the equal access to education most Americans enjoy today, but he has used his education to further his own life and advocates for others to do the same.
Parran, the youngest of ten children, grew up on a tenant farm and attended segregated schools until 10th grade. As one of the first to integrate Calvert High School in Calvert County, Maryland, he was elected vice president of his senior class and voted “Most Dependable”. After high school, Parran served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam era.
Education is important to Parran as evidenced by his commitment to continuing his education and advocacy for education in Calvert County and the state of Maryland. Attending college evenings and weekends, Parren received an AA in Computer Science from Prince George’s Community College. He also earned degrees in Management and Information Systems from Columbia Union College and The George Washington University. His advocacy for education continued as a member of the Calvert County Board of Education, and the Maryland State Board of Education (MABE), in which he served as president from 1989 – 1990. He also served as a Calvert County Trustee on the College of Southern Maryland’s Board of Trustees.
Parran’s community involvement did not stop with education having held numerous positions in county and state level organizations. He was elected as a member of the Board of Calvert County Commissioner 2002 -2010. He also held positions with the Maryland Public Safety and Corrections, Natural Resources, and Transportation and became Deputy County Administrator for Calvert County 2017 -2020. The skills he developed in these arenas led him to a position as president of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) in 2009.
In 2025, Parran was named pastor at St. Edmond’s United Methodist Church in Chesapeake Beach, MD. As a man who didn’t always have the equal access to the American Dream, Parran has worked hard for his community and state.
Additional Resources
Calvert County Library, Inspiring African American Men of Calvert County, 2018. Book.
Maddon, Mary. “Former Calvert Commissioner New Pastor at Chesapeake Beach Church”. The Recorder, July 25, 2023.
Maryland Manual Online: A Guide to Maryland and Its Government, Wilson H. Parran, Board of County Commissioners, Calvert County, Maryland
